Closer
by ChaeKkyung
Summary: One day after yet another typical troublesome day of attempting research, Shikamaru finds himself questioning himself what his king was to only be interrupted by his troublesome teammate with another question...Why won't he find happiness with a girl? "The main key to finding happiness, lies nowhere else but in my soul." Sorry for bad summary!


**A/N: Hello! It's ChaeKkyung with another ShikaIno fanfic! Inspired by Shippuden Opening 4: Closer by Joe Inoue...I LOVE THIS SONG! My first oneshot and I'm really excited to post this! :D Enjoy  
Disclaimer: All creds go to Masashi Kishimoto!  
**

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Today was yet another typical and troublesome day in preparation for the upcoming war.

Shiho, the strange research girl kept talking to me while I was trying to research more information of our enemy, so I couldn't really get far into my research.

"Shikamaru-san!" she called out to me before I left the building.

I looked back at her with no interest whatsoever, just wanting to get out this building.

"W-Would...Would...you like to go eat d-d-dinner with m-m-me?" she stuttered as her face turned bright red.

"Sorry, but I am busy with my research and preparation for the upcoming war." I said flatly. "Konoha 11 is the busiest now, so we cannot afford being thrown off track."

"O-Oh...I s-see...Maybe next time?" she asked as she looked up at me hopefully.

I didn't want to answer such a troublesome question, so I just ignored that question and turned my back on her once more. "I will be leaving now."

Without looking back at Shiho, I quickly made my way out of the building once and for all.

"How troublesome..." I sighed as I rubbed the back of my head and looked up at the clouds.

Huh...for some reason, the clouds weren't even making me feel any more relaxed or better as they always did.

I thought back to my team as I continued to walk to nowhere in particular.

All that was left of Team 10 was Ino, Choji, and I...Asuma had left us a while ago leaving me with a question that had been in my mind for the longest time.

_What is **my **king?_

Asuma had said that his king was in the next generation...in his son.

But...what was **my **king?

I thought back to all of the times that I spent with Team 10...with or without Asuma.

I thought of Choji's eating habits and his constant need for food. I thought of Ino's troublesome and loud personality.

What was **my **king?

All I knew at the moment was that I needed to keep my teammates close to me for now because I don't know who will go in the war...

"Shikamaruuuu!" the oh-so familiar troublesome voice called out to me as I continued to walk.

I didn't have to look up to know that the voice belonged to my teammate, Ino Yamanaka.

"Yeah?" I asked once she stood in front of me.

"Are you done with your research?" she asked.

"I guess..." I sighed and looked at her knowingly.

She just giggled in response, knowing my problem with Shiho.

"Shikamaru, you are really mean to girls." Ino said as she put her hands on her hip. "You should find happiness in spending time with a girl."

"Happiness with a girl?" I echoed unsurely. "That is too troublesome."

She narrowed her blue eyes at my words. "So am I troublesome to you?"

"You are the most troublesome." I muttered, looking away from her piercing blue eyes.

Okay...I had come to a conclusion only a week ago when Shiho saw me with Ino and asked me when we were alone if I loved her...yes, the conclusion is that I am in love with my troublesome teammate...

How can I possibly find happiness in a girl? A girl other than Ino that is.

But of course I wouldn't find happiness with her...she is in love with Sasuke afterall.

"How so?" she questioned with her eyes narrowed into dangerous looking slits.

"You just are." I choked out, hoping she wouldn't push the matter any longer.

But of course, Ino being Ino couldn't stop pestering me until she got her answer.

"How, Shika?" she whined as she latched herself onto my arm with puppy eyes. "Tell meeeee!"

"Troublesome..." I looked away form her and closed my eyes.

"Fine...if you won't answer that then my previous question!" she clapped her hands as she let go of me. "Why won't you find happiness with a girl?"

"I cannot find happiness with a girl right now." I answered truthfully, opening my eyes to look at her. "Asuma and Kurenai finally got together, but he got killed, not knowing how his own son looked like. I cannot find happiness with a girl because I might not be able to come back to her."

"Shikamaru..." Ino looked at me with understanding eyes. She too had suffered from Asuma's death and continued to help Kurenai in taking care of her son.

"It's all too troublesome, you know?" I sighed for what felt like the millionth time of the day. "War is coming up and anything can happen...Konoha 11 is especially at risk in this war and we never know what will happen to one of us. We could lose so many people...I think of so many possibilities..."

"I understand." Ino nodded as she gently placed her hand on my arm. "I worry every passing day of you and Choji...I worry that we will lose another member of Team 10...A-And...if I lost **you** specifically, I don't know what I would do with my life."

I looked at her with my eyes wide in shock. I did not just hear that, did I?

"Shikamaru..." she looked up at me. "I...I care about you...I want to be the girl that you will find happiness with..."

"I-Ino..." I stuttered in a way that was so unlike me. "I thought you loved Sasuke..."

"Sasuke is out of my reach completely." Ino laughed. "If anything, I think that Sakura is more deserving of him...also, lately I have been becoming more and more worried about you..."

"Ino." I said in a clear tone. "You have known me for the longest time ever...You know me well and know how to read through me perfectly. And...I am just worried about this entire war...this is all so troublesome, having feelings for someone with war coming in the near future...I don't know if I can make you happy."

"The main key to finding happiness, lies nowhere else but in my soul." she replied in a small voice. "Just trust in me, Shikamaru...I know we can make it out of the war alive...we cannot lose another member of our team now, can we?"

I just nodded.

"So trust in me and keep me close...it may be hard to see me during war, so keep me close now." Ino said in a soothing voice, before lifting her face to mine. "I love you, Shikamaru Nara."

"I love you, too...troublesome." I said back. At that moment, I realized what my **king** was...the future of Ino and I...our children and the future generation...the peace of this village.

With that, our lips met in a gentle and sweet way as though we were afraid that one of us would disappear.

Because all that is near us we must know, could disappear any day...so be careful.

"I'll never take you for granted, Ino." I said as soon as we pulled out of our kiss.

"Just remember...the main key to finding happiness, lies nowhere else but in my soul." Ino smiled at me. "Let's go..."

The two of us walked back to our homes hand in hand, taking advantage of the time we had together before the war started.

Besides...we need to be careful.

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**A/N: So how was it? Good? Bad? Tell me in your review and I hope you liked this one shot!**


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